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It has been years since Jean Piaget's theory of development was recognized. However, its value in understanding a child's development continues to be valuable. This can also be helpful for parents who are trying to understand their children's social, emotional, and cognitive abilities.
Piaget is a Swiss psychologist who is most known for his theory of cognitive development in children. According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children are not passive recipients of information. Rather, they create internal mental models as they grow up. Piaget's theory is fascinating for understanding a child's mind.
What is Jean Piaget's theory of development?
It is often believed that children are born with a mind that is similar to a blank slate. However, we often miss their emotional intelligence and their ability to learn from their environment. According to Jean Piaget's theory of development, children experience changes and go through distinct periods of growth.
While we now recognize that each child has a unique development route, there are similar traits they may display on their cognitive development journey. The following are major cognitive stages that children go through:
1. Sensorimotor stage (Birth to 2 years)
As the term suggests, children at this stage explore and understand their world primarily through their senses. You may have noticed that they put almost everything in their mouths or touch anything without understanding what it is. Children also start recognizing that things continue to exist even if they don't see them in front of their eyes. The sense organs become their window to exploring the world. You can introduce activities starting at this age to aid their cognitive development.
2. Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years)
According to Piaget's theory of development, children develop language skills and try to communicate with others around them. They also start engaging in pretend play. You may notice that they only begin to become friendly with others. A characteristic feature of this stage is egocentrism. Children believe that they are at the center of the world and may fight for attention. They may also appear to be 'arrogant' and 'rebellious'.
3. Concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years)
As children's understanding of their world grows, they become more open to exploration. This is an important stage in their social and emotional development. Children start using logical and decision-making skills. They become open to connections and understand concrete objects and events.
4. Formal operational stage (11 years and older)
Adolescents go through this stage, which is the last one in Piaget's theory of development. This stage encourages children to experiment with their environments and is frequently characterized by independence in exploration. They also become adept at abstract thinking.
It is important to understand that at this stage, children start understanding their own thought patterns. In a way, their cognitive capacity becomes independent.
Children are much more socially and emotionally intelligent than we think they are. By understanding Piaget's theory of development, we see that they gradually move into higher levels of cognitive functioning. While these categories exist for our understanding, it is important for parents to recognize that development is not as smooth as it is described in theory.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
